Forbidden
by lunastars
Summary: Forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest. - One-shot collection. Multiple Pairings; mostly Caryl and Meth. Rated K-M.
1. Chapter 1

**So I wrote this little number last night when I couldn't sleep. There are so many pairings (canon and fanon) in the Walking Dead that I feel can get a lot of critism and has a lot of hurdles along the way. That coupled with the fact that I'm moving to uni to start my first year today helped me come to up with this idea for a One-shot collection. (The moving bit being because I won't be able to update multi-chapter stories as much as I would like for a teeny bit). They will all have a forbidden (love) theme behind them, some will be obvious and some not so much. **

**I'm going to update this as and when I can. There will be various pairings and maybe a few OCs. Not all of them will be set during the ZA but I will leave a note at the top of every chapter to say when it's set to avoid possible spoilers.**

**This one is AU and doesn't have the ZA**

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><p>Daryl opened up the trailer door, already yelling at whoever thought it was a good idea to knock on someone's front door at three o'clock in the morning. However once he calmed down enough to see who it actually was he wanted to take it all back. Carol Peletier standing outside of his trailer that early in the morning was the last thing Daryl ever expected to see. More so he didn't expect to see a <em>crying <em>Carol standing there.

"What happened?" he asked instantly, knowing full well what it was.

"I'm leaving him," Carol announced, her voice lost and shaky.

Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing. For months he had been trying to convince her to leave Ed. For years Daryl had had to sit back and watch that man inflict all kinds of damage onto Carol, now she would be free.

"I'm going to get my stuff tomorrow, but can I stay here tonight?"

He stepped aside, not answering her question. She stepped inside and once he closed the door he asked, "want me to come with ya tomorrow?"

"He'll be at work, he can't afford not to go in." She wasn't lying but she didn't exactly seem sure either.

Daryl just nodded his head and didn't push the matter. He checked everything was locked before leading Carol down to his bedroom. He rearranged everything a little before motioning for her to go to sleep. She crawled into the bed, grabbed not even complaining about the lack of comfort and pulled the covers up around herself.

"Stay." Daryl heard her say as he went to leave. "Please."

He did. Carefully he climbed in beside her and laid close enough for her to feel his presence bur not too close that she would feel uncomfortable. She was shaking slightly and in a haze of sleep Daryl heard her grown a little.

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><p><strong>6 months later...<strong>

After that night Daryl woke up later that morning to find Carol already gone. He had waited around for most of the day but she never came back. Hours turned to days and still she never showed up at the Dixon's trailer. Over the months Daryl never saw her, not even out on the street. The only reason he didn't burst through the door and kill Ed with his bare hands was because Sheriff Grimes said he had heard from Carol. It also helped to settle his mind when he saw movement in their house after Ed had gone out one day.

It was driving Daryl crazy but he knew if he intervined it could cause damage so he didn't. At least until he was driving by the hospital and spotted Ed's car outside. He never drove that particular one but he refused to let Carol own anything half way decent that cost over a certain amount. He quickly did a u-turn and parked up at the hospital. He all but ran into the hospital and stopped at the reception desk.

"I think my friend is here," Daryl said urgently to the woman behind the desk. "Her name is Carol-"

"Daryl?"

He whipped around at the sound of his name. Carol was stood at the side of the desk. She must have come out from being seen to. "Jesus, you're okay."

"I'm fine," she agreed. "Daryl..."

He waited for her to continue but she didn't. She still had bruises but not half as many as she normally would in this space of time. As she started to move around the desk he did too. When they were just about in front of each other Daryl froze.

"You're..."

"Pregnant," she agreed with a soft nod.

"How? When?" He tried his hardest not to stare too long.

"That night I came to yours... I wasn't feeling good, I thought my body was telling me that I couldn't take all of this anymore but it turns out I was two months pregnant."

Daryl thought that over. She would eight months along now meaning she had around a month till she gave birth. Lesser bruises or not, she still had fresh ones and now more than ever it made Daryl's blood boil.

"He's still beating ya, even now?" Daryl hissed so only she could hear.

"Daryl don't," she pleaded as her hands came up over her bump.

As Daryl watched her it dawned on him what she was doing. She was protecting the baby.

"I'm not going to hurt either of ya." He placed a gentle hand on her bump. He moved his hand from the middle to the side in slow circular motions. "Don't ya know that?"

"I'm so scared," she admitted.

"Why didn't ya tell me?"

"I couldn't leave Ed," she explained. "I couldn't risk him getting that angry."

"Come with me now," Daryl said suddenly. "I'll take care of you and the baby."

"Daryl, I could never ask that of you-"

His hand was at the back of her head, pulling her in as he kissed her. He kept it gentle but made sure that it was meanjngful. When he pulled away her eyes watered up and just when he started to panic, she laughed.

"What took you so long?"

He chuckled a little himself then. "It won't be easy," he admitted. She was married and pregnant with the same man's child. Neither of those things made her Daryl's, but he would damn sure fight for her. As gently as he could he helped her out to his truck. Together they drove away, letting Ed's car disappear in the rearview mirror along with Carol's old life.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is AU and does not have the ZA  
><strong>**Pairing: **Meth

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><p>Merle stood by the gate with his arms raised up in defence. He stared down the barrel of the gun that was pointed at him. Hershel hadn't said anything since putting the gun on Merle and he didn't have a chance before his youngest daughter pulled up. She threw her car into park and was out in a matter of minutes.<p>

"Get out of here," Hershel warned before Beth got too close.

"Daddy put that down," Beth called out as she rushed over.

He didn't. He kept the gun trained on Merle who just stayed focused on the end of the gun. In his mind he was debating the idea of taking the gun from Hershel but that would only work _if_ he could get it _before_ it went off and also would hurting Hershel in the process really help his cause?

"I just wanted to talk," Merle finally said, knowing that no matter how he personally felt he couldn't hurt Hershel in front of Beth.

"I told you, this topic is never to be discussed again," Hershel said calmly as he readjusted the gun in his arms.

Beth appeared beside them. She pushed on Merle's chest, forcing him to take a couple of steps back so she could step between him and the gun. Instantly Hershel lowered the gun so that it wasn't pointed at his daughter. She gave him a disapproving look and made sure to throw the same one over her shoulder so that Merle knew he wasn't getting off scot-free either.

"What is going on here?" she questioned as she looked back at her father.

"I want him off of our property," Hershel said, flicking the gun up softly to motion at Merle seen as his hands were full.

"You've never pulled a gun on him before."

"That was when I was sure this whole thing would blow over."

"We talked about this, daddy," Beth said softly. "Merle and I are for real, this isn't about to blow over. I've never asked you for anything in my whole life but for now I'm asking you to please just accept us, accept Merle."

"I'm actually waiting for an answer to a question," Merle spoke up from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as Hershel said, "the gun was meant to tell you my answer and I told you never to bring the topic up again."

"When? What question?" Beth asked, turning her body around a little so she could face Merle properly.

"I came by the farm yesterday when you were out and spoke to him," Merle shrugged. Beth stayed silent, forcing him to continue on, "he practically chased me out but I'm here again today."

"My answer is no," Hershel muttered. "If that weren't obvious."

"Well then, I tried, Angel," Merle said to her. "Your way just ain't gonna work though."

It suddenly dawned on her why Merle was here and what he must have asked her father. She just stared at him, unsure if she wanted it to be confirmed. When she had suggested this she meant they should do it together. No wonder there was a gun in the mix now.

"I thought we were going to talk about this?" she asked. "I thought we were waiting a little."

"Well I weren't gonna ask you right away," he explained. "But I figured _I _should talk to your father, y'know, alone. That way I could do what you wanted but still surprise ya."

"Bethy, you knew?"

She turned back. Hershel dropped one hand from the gun so that it was dangling from the other. She gave him a small, unsure smile. "We were talking one night and it kind of came up. I said there was no way I could do it without my family there and I know how you feel about it so I said we would need to talk to you. Nothing is going to happen yet. I'm not ready for that but I wanted you to be ready, to be able to adjust to the idea because I'll still need you."

"I got her a real nice ring and everything," Merle said, stepping around Beth slightly so he could see Hershel. "And I'll work as hard as I can to get enough money for everything, especially everything after. Nothing will change really, she'll still be here all of the time no doubt."

Hershel didn't believe that. He had rarely seen his daughter these past couple of weeks but now he knew why. He had been patient and understanding because deep down he was waiting for it to all go wrong, instead it had gone right.

With a deep sigh he kept the gun lowered and turned away from the pair of them to open the gate. "I guess we should have a proper conversation about this."

Beth tried not to look too hopeful as she took hold of Merle's hand and tugged him along behind her as they followed Hershel up to the house. Beth knew from the moment she met him that Merle was the man she was going to marry some day but at the price of losing her father she was never sure if the fight was worth it. Now it seemed was the time for a ceasefire.

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><p><strong>AN: **_not sure how I feel about this one but I do have two other ideas planned so hopefully I'll get something better up really soon_


	3. Chapter 3

**This is set during season 3, the complications with Lori's labour have changed so therefore the events surrounding it have changed too  
>Paring: <strong>Lori/Rick

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><p>"Push, Lori!"<p>

She pushed hard as Maggie knelt by her feet. The latter had her hands on Lori's knees as she continuously urged her to push. Carl was up near the door, listening as walker after walker moved past. One or two would become fixated on the door. Carl knew they must smell him but majority of them would slip on away from the door after some failed attempts to get inside. He kept his gun in hand just in case one of them managed to get through.

"You're almost there," Maggie assured. "Just keep pushing!"

Between screams and grunts of pain Lori pushed one last time and for a moment everything was silent. Maggie took the bundle in her arms and wrapped it up, working hard to get some sound. Only then did Carl leave the door. He rushed to Lori's side and she gripped his hand as he knelt beside her. Maggie was becoming frantic when a high pitched cry echoed throughout the room. She rocked the bundle and cooed softly until the baby settled and no more sound was made.

"Is it okay?" Lori asked, straining her neck to see.

"She's perfect," Maggie said, smiling as she came over.

"She?" Carl asked as he stood up to have a look.

"Yeah, why don't you hold her?" She did't wait for an answer as she passed the baby over to Carl. "Stand back a bit and just hold her close to you, it'll make her feel safe."

Carl did just that. He made sure not to hold her too tight as he kept her against his chest. He concentrated on her as Maggie finished up with Lori. When they were done Maggie helped Lori to stand up. The latter swayed softly but managed to stay up on her feet. Maggie hooked one of Lori's arms around her shoulders and then wrapped one of her own arms around Lori's waist.

"Carl go see if you can hear anything outside of the door."

Carefully he made his way over and listened. There was the faint sound of shuffling feet but no way to be sure. "I think there might be some out there," he informed as he came back over.

Maggie looked between Carl holding Judith and Lori by her side. She was contemplating her options. Finally she looked back at Carl. "Do you think you can shoot whatever is out there?"

"No," Lori objected softly.

"He can't carry Judith and support your weight," Maggie said, defending her decision. "And I can't hold you up and shoot properly."

"I can do it," Carl chimed in.

"Give me the baby until it's clear."

Carl moved over and passed the baby over into Maggie's free arm. She held the baby close to her chest. At the sight Lori seemed to stand on her feet a little better, no longer leaning too much on Maggie. Once he was confident that everyone was okay Carl moved over to the door. He stood back and reached over to grab the handle. He threw open the door and stepped back, his gun raised.

Only two stepped into the room so he pushed one to the side and shot the second one. He turned and shot the one he had thrown aside. The others were behind him now and he quickly stepped through the door. There were less walkers than he expected but he still let off shot after shot so that none of them could get near Maggie, Lori or the baby.

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><p>"Dad!" Carl screamed as they got outside.<p>

Rick turned around and at the sight he started running. Carl finally put his gun away and took the baby from Maggie. The little girl cried softly at the disruption but soon settled. When Rick reached them he supported Lori's other side and glanced down at the bundle in Carl's arms, momentarily shocked.

"Go inside," Hershel instructed to Beth. "Get a space cleared."

She nodded her head as she darted inside. Hershel followed on slowly behind her. Maggie and Rick both helped Lori to get inside while everyone else followed on. All that had just happened no longer mattered. For now all of that was put on hold until they could be sure that Lori was okay and so was the baby. When they got inside Beth had found a decent enough cell and had gathered everything she could find that might be useful.

"Stay out here," Hershel said to Rick.

Reluctantly he did as he was told and Maggie got Lori inside. Once she got her to the bed Maggie grabbed the sheet off of the top bunk and used it cover as much of the cell entrance as possible without blocking out all of the light. Rick glanced down once again at the bundle in Carl's arms.

"It's a girl," Carl told him, not even looking up.

Rick softly touched the baby's head with his finger tips. He watched her, mesmerised until Maggie came back out of the cell. She had some things in her arms and she motioned for the Grimes family to follow her. She stopped at one of the tables and settled the stuff on top of it. She sat down and before Carl could follow suit she motioned for him to hand the baby over.

"I've never done this with a human baby before," Maggie admitted. "But I'm just going to make sure she's okay and we'll clean her up a little bit."

Rick and Carl both sat and watched as Maggie worked. Soon the little girl was laughing as Maggie cleaned her up. For a little while that kept Rick and Carl's spirits high, stopped them from worrying about Lori who was being treated a few cells away. Eventually the scene shifted so that Rick was now holding the baby. Carl and Maggie were still sat with him but none of them said a word as the baby slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Maggie," Beth whispered as she came out of the cell. As Maggie got up to go over to her sister Rick handed the baby over to Carl and followed. "Everything is fine."

"Lori's okay?" Rick asked.

Beth nodded, smile on her face. "It looked worse than it was. She's a little dehydrated and in a bit of pain but those things will pass. We've given her something to drink and in a bit we'll get her some food."

"I'm gonna go get the baby some food," Daryl spoke up. "Give Lori a chance to rest."

Rick clasped his hand against Daryl's shoulder. "I appreciate that."

"Once everything is sorted here I'll go with you," Maggie offered.

Daryl nodded and the attention turned back on Beth. "She's tried so Daddy said only one person should be with her now."

Rick looked over his shoulder at Carl. The second his son nodded Rick made his way into the cell. Hershel was just standing up and he smiled at Rick as he slipped out of the cell. As Rick's eyes landed on Lori she smiled up at him. He had to admit that she looked a lot better than she did when she came out of the prison before. He went towards the head of the bed, dragging the chair that was in the room with him. He positioned it and then settled down onto the chair.

"How are you feeling?"

"Where is she?" Lori asked, ignoring the question.

"Carl has her," Rick assured.

"She must be hungry."

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder as she tried to get up. "She's fine just now. Daryl and Maggie are going to look for some food so you can rest. We're going to need a back up supply in case..."

"In case I really do die next time," Lori said, finishing his sentence for him.

"No," Rick shook his head. "In case you want to sleep or I get up with her in the night."

"You'd get up with her?" Lori questioned, tears springing into her eyes.

"She's my little girl, of course I would."

"Yeah," Lori said, a smile on her face as she finally settled back.

"Things should never have gotten this far, this bad," Rick admitted. "It should never have gotten to that point where you would really believe that I wouldn't look after her. My baby or not she needs somebody but I believe that she's mine. She stole my heart the second I looked at her so really it doesn't matter. No matter what happened with Shane or any of it, from this point on we forget about it and we move on. We have two kids to look after now and one of them can't even hold her own head up yet. They need us. We need each other."

"Do you think we can do it?" she asked softly.

He moved now to sit on the bed beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and she laid her head against him. "I'm willing to try if you are."


	4. Important Note

To anyone who reads this collection,

I'm not going to be posting for a while. That's not just with this story but with fanfiction in general. I'll probably still write every now and then but it won't be posted. This won't last too long (in fact I could be saying this and end up posting super soon) but there will be an absence.

Feel free to contact me with anything, I'll still be lurking around on here for sure.


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